‘Abolish Land Use Act, allow states to augment power’

The Federal Government has been urged to abolish the Land Use Act so as to allow states to invest in power.

Senator Stella Omu, who made this observation, stated that it will be better to restructure things to attain the correct balance between our collective purpose and our separate grassroots realities.

She said many of the 68 items on the Exclusive list in the 1999 Constitution should be transferred to the concurrent list with states’ allocation increased to match the increased responsibilities.
She said, “Every State should harness and develop its resources at its pace and pay tax to the Federal Government.”

She said this would be in harmony with the 1963 Constitution. Furthermore, she said, “states should be allowed to augment power generation to boost job creation. States should create the number of local government areas they can manage; this calls for the abrogation of the number of local governments in the Constitution.

“The abrogation of Land Use Act will promote development. Polluted land by oil exploration should be nourished so that affected people will have land for agricultural venture. The entrenchment of 35% affirmative action will calm the nerves of women who are about 50% of Nigeria population. Co-operation between the three arms of government without losing sight of separation of powers is paramount.”

She said, “If over the years various governments had delivered on the promise of growth fairness, prosperity, and justice, Nigeria by now would have been enjoying political stability, economic viability, social harmony, peace and sustainable development.”

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Stories by Simon Ugwu